Body

Your body is your temple. Get to know it. This section features info on the functions and mechanisms of the digestive, immune, nervous and other body systems as well as major organs, movement and exercise.

Candida sounds like the name of a hot girl who lives next door right? And that’s not far from reality. It lives closer to us than we know it, but it is not a human being. Candida Albicans is a yeast, a type of fungus that lives naturally in all human bodies of all ages from birth on. Here is the ‘big deal’ with candida and health:

If you live in a healthy body: It lives symbiotically in a balanced environment as a yeast in the gastrointestinal tract, on the mucus membranes and on the skin, causing no problems for the body. Living in a healthy body implies that you have a strong immune system via a nutrient-dense, conscious diet and high-frequency thought patterns.

If you live in an unhealthy body: This harmless ‘yeast’ (single-celled organism) can overgrow, turning into an extremely dangerous pathogenic fungus with roots that can attack any organs or systems in your body. This fungus uses its roots to dig and create holes into the intestinal lining, where it and its by products can then infiltrate the blood stream.

I compare Candida to the Incredible Hulk. If it’s under control, it’s harmless. If it’s activated, it’s lethal. And guess who can control your Hulk/Candida disease-activating transformation? You. So, how do we go from harmless yeast to dangerous pathogen? Candida overgrowth happens in many different ways that cause the body to be in a weak imbalanced state. Major causes of Candida overgrowth include alcohol overuse, the use of antibiotics, recreational drugs, birth control pills, as well as stress, radiation, chemotherapy, steroids and poor diet.

This is genuinely the real Hulk in potentially all of us, which can literally take the body down by causing illnesses such as sinus problems, mucosal and systemic infections, hypoglycemia, acne, hypothyroidism, fibroids, anxiety, depression, lupus, autism, mental diseases – and even cancer. Can you control this from happening? Absolutely. A whole foods, organic, plant-based diet is the best way to keep Candida in a controlled yeast state. Yeast overgrowth thrives in the environment of diets high in refined sugars, refined carbohydrates, dairy products, alcohol, processed foods, and hormones secreted as a result of high stress levels.

✻ Destroying good/friendly bacteria in our gastrointestinal gut through birth control pills, antibiotics, or poor diet will allow yeast to take over.

✻ Whether due to stress or ingesting processed, refined sugars, the fungus only cares about the resulting “high blood sugar” content, and will use this sugar to reproduce itself.

✻ Once “Hulk” imbalance is in effect, yeast continues to multiply as it is fed sugar in any form – desserts, alcohol, white flour, dairy products like milk and cheese, and elevated blood sugar levels caused from stress.

✻ By-products of Candida, called mycotoxins, are neurotoxins that cause disruption of cellular communication, destroy and decompose tissues and organs, which makes the body weak and prone to infection and inflammation.

✻ Mycotoxins weaken the immune system, disrupt RNA and DNA production, damage and destroy neurons, are carcinogenic, cause a lack of coordination and confuse the body systems so much that they create cross-wiring problems of the immune system causing it to attack itself (your own body, which it is supposed to be protecting).

✻ The status of the body’s intestinal flora, GI mucosal function and liver health protect the brain against mycotoxins. Poor diet contributes to a toxin-filled liver and a low count of friendly bacteria, which will allow mycotoxins to make camp in places like the brain, the nervous system, the joints, and skin. A nutrient-dense, organic, plant-based, unprocessed foods diet will keep the liver healthy, free from toxins, and keep the friendly bacteria count high.

✻ Candida overgrowth creates a cascade of imbalances in the body such as emotional disturbances (anxiety/depression), multiplication of microorganisms, and hormonal changes.

✻ Poor diets (high in refined sugars, refined carbohydrates, dairy products, alcohol, processed foods) and hormones secreted as a result of high stress levels elevate blood sugars, which in turn feeds bacteria, parasites and viruses. Animal flesh and derivative products create an acidic environment, perfectly suited for all of these pathogens to thrive in, therefore creating more disease in the body.

With its high minerals and vitamin content and no refined or processed sugar, a whole foods plant-based diet is perfect support for a stressful or healthy lifestyle.

✻ Beans and legumes in small quantities (small serving 1/2 cup) because, although they contain protein, they are also high in starch, which turns into sugar in the body. Adzuki and mung beans are the highest in protein, so they are the most suitable. (Avoid fermented soy products).

✻ Fruits have amazing micronutrients but in this case, because they have sugar in the form of fructose, limit to one fruit per day, preferably the ones with a lower sugar content. Berries contain the least amount of sugar and are loaded with antioxidants.

✻ For an enzyme-rich nutrition and an alkaline-promoting environment, eat more raw vegetables and fruits than cooked foods. Try a ratio of 70% raw to 30% cooked.

✻ Drink plenty of pure water and alkalinize your body through fresh vegetables juices. Avoid too many carrots, as they have a higher sugar count.

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